DELICIOUS AND EASY GOURMET HOT DOGS
When I think of gourmet hot dogs I think of ballparks and fairs and lunch trucks! YUM! But don’t overlook making them at home. They are an easy and oh, so scrumptious family meal and a picnic favorite.
I am addicted to a fabulous foodie show called Bizzare Foods, Delicious Destinations on the Travel channel. On a recent episode, the host Andrew Zimmern virtually took me to Chicago to check out the great food. And there in Chicago, I got reintroduced to the humble but really scrumptious dressed up hot dog!
How about you? Admit it… you love a well dressed hot dog! They are part of our American fiber!
I personally LOVE a good chili dog! That’s one reason I make an extra helping or two of chili or order a bowl of chili with our take out orders from one local restaurant that makes amazing chili. I’ll freeze the chili and keep it on hand to make a gourmet chili dog!
You can steam a hot dog in a little water or grill them outside or on the stovetop. How about toasting them over an open flame on a stick! Just as long as they are piping hot all the way through.
Here are some really yummy combinations for creating your own gourmet hot dogs at home…
- Bacon wrapped dogs brushed with Teriyaki sauce and grilled. Diced fresh pineapple added to the bun along with a little relish.
- Hot dog cooked and smothered in chili. Cheddar cheese, onions, and sliced jalapeno’s added. Crushed Fritos or nachos on top for an extra flair!
- Caramelized onions, Dijon mustard, and Swiss cheese melted over the grill.
- Saurkraut and onions. Add cheese or ham as well.
- Dog smothered in bleu cheese dressing, hot sauce, celery or coleslaw.
- Avacado, diced eggs, crumbled bacon and mayo.
- Pinto beans, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, mustard, and onions
- Coleslaw, onions, bbq sauce and cheese
Now I hope I have you thinking about adding the not so humble hot dog to your get togethers this summer! Just make sure to dress them up and make them “goumet”!
What is your favorite way to gourmet up a hot dog?
I am still a ketchup and mustard gal – that is my gourmet hotdog! I know I am no fun!
I love your Recipes!! I have saved quite a few of them!! Those Hot Dog Pics are making me hungry!!!! Thanks Yvonne
I was so so hungry for a hot dog as I was writting this!
Hello from Laos. I’m waiting for our flight to bring us home, and I just read your post. (It’s Monday evening here.). This is my favorite way to eat a hot dog: http://the2seasons.com/2015/05/21/hot-dog-sauce-recipe/
That pic is making my mouth water! LOVE a chili dog with mustard, cheese and onions. (No ketchup or relish for me. Not on a hot dog.)
I’m going to make your Nana’s potato salad for our Supper Six gathering that will be at My Wee Abode in July. We’ll be having a picnic out on my greenbelt area, just outside my little place. 🙂
Oops, Nani’s, not Nana’s. 🙂
I look forward to your post every day. This one really hit home. I love hot dogs! I could eat them every day. Here in the Rochester NY area we have three kinds of hot dogs. One looks like the hot dog in your picture, what most of the country thinks of as a hot dog. It’s called a frankfurter or frank. Sold here at some fairs and in some diners. But the hots everyone around here means when they say “hot dog” are the locally made ones – red hots, also called Texas Hots, and white hots, also called Porkers. They’re both bigger/fatter than franks. Plump, tasty and juicy when cooked, the casings split or pop open in spots when they’re almost ready. Oh my! The toppings are mustard (French’s classic yellow), relish (sweet of course), onions (chopped raw onion), hot sauce. The hot sauce is a delicious mixture of ground beef, a tomato based liquid and secret ingredients. The hot sauce can be purchased at local grocery stores for home cooked hots. I’ve never tasted hot sauce anything like it anywhere else in the USA. They’re usually eaten on a bun with a side of fries (french fried potatoes), onion rings (battered and deep fried, crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside) or macaroni salad, or in the form of a “garbage plate”: two hots, no buns, over of a choice of two items – French fries, home fries, macaroni salad, baked beans – all topped with lots of mustard, onions and hot sauce. YUMMMMM!!!!!! I think I hear a porker calling to me from my refrigerator. Thanks for your posts. I think they’re more work than we might imagine.
Wow that’s so interesting Patty. We will be coming your way this summer for a tractor show in Canandaigua NY.
I will try to find some local hot dogs, Texas hots and the local hot sauce.
Portia
This makes me smile Yvonne. My Mom. Elva, 95, is a fan of the old tv show with Andy Griffith as the defense attorney-detective. She has all the episodes on DVD. He is always going for hot dogs and so is my Mom!
I’ll suggest some of your additions next time. She’s very adventurous.
While I’m from Michigan, I love Chicago style hot dogs. Mustard onions dill pickle spear tomato wedges sweet relish and “sport peppers” (I can’t find them near me so I use peperoncini peppers) and a sprinkle of celery salt. Served on a poppy seed hot dog bun. Yummy ?
Hot dogs are a must on the 4th! Love your ideas of dressing them up.
I just love a good hot dog with toppings. My family always had topping , like chilie and cold slaw.